The Indian headline indices, Sensex and Nifty, closed Friday’s trading session in the green, with both benchmarks registering intraday gains of nearly 1%. At close, the Sensex settled at 81,721.08, rising 769.09 points or 0.95%, while the Nifty ended at 24,853.15, up by 243.45 points or 0.99%.
Majority of the sectoral indices also wrapped up the day with gains, reflecting broad-based market strength. The BSE Midcap index closed at 44,861.42, up 222.99 points or 0.50 %, and the BSE Smallcap index ended at 51,521.42, climbing 232.10 points or 0.45%.
Here are the key highlights from today’s market action:
Top gainers of the day
In today’s trading session, several heavyweight stocks led the rally. Among the top gainers from the Sensex 30 pack were Eternal, ITC, Power Grid, Bajaj Finserv, Axis Bank, and Adani Ports, all of which contributed to the benchmark indices closing in the green.
Key laggards
On the flip side, Sun Pharma and Bharti Airtel emerged as the key laggards in today’s trade in the Sensex 30 pack , putting some pressure on the otherwise upbeat market sentiment.
Sectoral snapshot
A sector-wise breakdown showed strong momentum in several pockets. The non-alcoholic beverages segment surged over 3%, leading the charge. Other notable gainers included the plastics, tobacco, electronics, services, and automobile sectors, each rallying between 1-3%.
Meanwhile, some segments saw muted performance. The textiles, packaging, paper, fertilizers, and pharmaceuticals sectors lagged behind the broader market.
Group-wise stock performance
In group-wise action, the Jaipuria Group led the day with a 12% increase in market capitalisation. It was followed by gains in the ADA Enterprises Group, Williamson Magor Group, MP Birla Group, and Jaypee Group.
Conversely, the Nagarjuna Group posted the weakest performance, with a decline of 2% in market cap. Other underperformers included the Garware Group, GMR Group, and Oswal Group.
FMCG and IT sectors shine
Both the FMCG and IT sectors saw a notable rally in today’s session, each gaining around 1%. In FMCG, Varun Beverages stood out with a surge of over 3.5%, while ITC, United Breweries, United Spirits, Godrej Consumer Products, and Hindustan Unilever also posted healthy gains.
On the Nifty IT index, all 10 constituent stocks ended in the green. Key performers included Persistent Systems, LTI Mindtree, Infosys, and Oracle Financial Services.